Ten of Coins

Keywords

Wealth, abundance, acquisition, greed

Range of Meaning

Light: Celebrating your physical and financial blessings. Realizing how lucky or how blessed you are. Being satisfied with your physical and financial achievements. Taking best advantage of “times of plenty.” Enjoying a feast. Showering friends or family with gifts.

Shadow: Spending all of your money on extravagant gifts and possessions. Trying too hard to impress others with your wealth or physique. Giving an inappropriately expensive gift as a means of currying favor. Obsessing on matters of weight, health, or finance. Always asking, “What’s in it for me?”

Correspondences

Numerology: 10 (The End: finality, completion, exhaustion)

Astrology: Mercury in Virgo

Affirmation: “I keep physical and financial matters in perspective.”

Story: The Main Character turns down an extravagant reward for his or her good work. Alternatively, the Main Character is offered an attractive bribe.

Advice

Relationships. Being swept off your feet is one thing; being overwhelmed by sex or gifts is quite another. Keep a level head with regard to the importance of both presents and pleasure. Gifts and physical intimacy have an intensity all their own, but cannot compensate for genuine affection.

Work. Your skills are for sale—not your soul. In the long run, will any amount of money compensate for the loss of your health or self-respect? Look carefully at the carrots being dangled before you. Know when to say no. Celebrate what you have; debate whether more is needed.

Spirituality. Lots of “stuff” can blind us to or distract us from our deepest, most important needs. Lighten the load. Consider giving away some of the possessions that weight you down. When blessings overflow, share them with others.

Personal Growth. You are not defined by your paycheck, by the size of your home, or by memberships in exclusive clubs. Behind all the possessions, behind the physical shell, there is only you; instead of focusing on the externals, make sure you’re at peace with the person you really are.

Fortune Telling. Big money is in the near future. Expect a powerful blessing to come your way.

When? Between September 12th through 22nd.

Symbols and Insights

The Tree of Life. Students of Qabalah will recognize the ten Coins so often seen on the original RWS version of this card have been arranged to suggest the shape of the Tree of Life. In other decks, including the Marseilles, an overflow of Coins dominates the image. Either approach stresses the overflow of material blessings and should remind us to consider the higher purpose behind the “ten thousand things” in our lives.

The Pensive Elder. On this card, RWS-inspired decks often depict an older man, deep in thought. What’s on his mind? His wealth? His family? The future of his empire? How might these sobering topics play a role in your situation?

More Than Enough. Numerology suggests the tens represent the point at which fullness has been exceeded, and the energy of the suit becomes spoiled and over-extended. Too much focus on material goods – or even on the condition of our own bodies – can be just as damaging as too little.

The Marseilles Image. Ten coins crowd the image. An additional coin would crush the central blossom, obliterating any room for growth. At some point, physical possessions and concerns can limit our progress. Are you there?

Questions to Ask

How much stuff do I really need?

How do I feel about wealth and abundance? How do I define these terms?

About Author

Mark McElroy

I'm the author of A Guide to Tarot Card Reading, A Guide to Tarot Card Meanings, and eight other Tarot books. I'm also the creator of several Tarot decks, including the Lo Scarabeo Tarot, The Tarot of the Elves, and the Bright Idea Deck.

Text on TarotTools.com, unless noted otherwise, is free to use elsewhere under a Creative Commons "share and share alike" license, as long as the following credit line is included: "Content from Mark McElroy via TarotTools.com."